#hbnnf

A slow, gentle hum was all that could be heard in the cavernous stone room. A large hand with long, clawed nails laid pressed on the ground, palm down, the Pitch curled up on the back of it seeming tiny in comparison. Annie’s own nails raked softly against the knuckle of the hand, humming an age-old song. Massive blue eyes stared down at her, dirty blonde hair draping over their face.

“Day to night….dark to light...fall the sands of time…” Annie’s voice was quiet when she sang, cracking with certain words.

“To sing the Song of Healing to me is a bit odd for you, Annira.” The large woman looked down at Annie with a sad fondness, her other hand moving towards the Pitch, a single nail gently pushing Annie’s hair from her face.

“You’re the only one I’d sing it to other than Eluvis or Rana. And I see you a lot anyways, so it's only natural we’d get at least somewhat close. I don’t really talk to anyone else.”

“Ah, yes. You do get hurt very often. A Great Fairy was surely a welcome addition with how clumsy some of you are.” The woman chuckles, the water around her rippling as she shifts.

“Mmm,” Annie hums, placing her hands under her cheek. Soon after, the clicking of clawed feet and hands on the ground echoed in the room, signalling the arrival of another.

Three sharp whistles sounded, Annie’s ears perking at the sound. She sighed, sitting up, and looked over at Bandit, who now sat crouched on the ground a few feet from the entrance to the Fountain. He kept his head down, hands running over the stone floor, humming lowly in small intervals.

“It seems you are being called, Annira. Go on, now.” The fairy gently pushed Annie off of her hand, nudging her towards where Bandit sat. Annie groaned, leaning into the finger that pressed against her cheek, before turning on her heel and following Bandit out of the room.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ciela.” Annie calls out before disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So...you can just... Create portals on a whim? Like...just...poof.” Sky stared at Rana, who held back a chuckle.

“Yes, pretty much. Also, question. How are the two Reflections currently? Does that mirror I gave you work well?” Rana pointed to the bag slung over Sky’s shoulder. He looks down at it, patting the side.

“Yeah, it seems to work alright. So...you know where the others are?”

“Yes. Aoife, Lucas and Sean are in the Era of the Wilds. Ray, Gloam and Tyrant are in Ray’s Era, the Era of the Hero of Time. I will be taking you to that Era, then I will go and get those three and bring them there as well.”

“Why that Era specifically?” Torrent fiddles with belts at his waist, which had gotten tangled as he had put them on. After fixing them, he absently rubbed at the newly-shaved sides of his head, mussing the longer top. Serenity was tying a small string around a longer strand of hair at the right side of her head, a solemn look on her face. “What’s so special about it?”

“Well, that Era is where the timelines split into three. It’s one of the most important Eras of all, and it is likely the place you’ll get the most answers to questions you have, whether they regard this journey, or something you’ve wondered for years before.” Rana flipped her hair out of her face, eyeing Four, who sat in one of the larger chairs a few feet from the group. “Now, I’m still on the fence about transporting your Converging friend over there, but if he really thinks he can handle it, then I can’t exactly deny his request.”

Four’s eyes shifted to the group, and a tired smile barely graced his lips before falling again. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and he struggled to raise his head from the back of the chair. He finally pulled himself to sit up, using the Four Sword to hold himself up as he stood.

“I will be fine. I’m not going to just sit and wait to die, so I might as well keep going while I can. Besides, you said that Era could have answers. Maybe it can give some for me, something that could help me.” Four looked at Rana, a determined look in his eyes. She nods, but her concerned expression didn’t change.

“Alright. If you’re sure.”

~~~~~~~

Warrior sat on the grass outside the castle, a small Triforce pin in his hands. He stared down at the pin, running his fingers over it, ignoring the soft grunt that sounded beside him as someone sat down. Torrent’s tell-tale orange pants appeared in the corner of his eye, but Warrior didn’t look at him, simply continuing to stare down at the pin.

“What’s up with you, Mr. Knight?” Torrent rested his arm on one of his knees, pushing the braid at the side of his head back behind his ear.

Warrior shook his head. “We couldn’t get to him in time….He got really hurt because we just weren’t fast enough. Ravio won’t leave his side, we have to pull him out of the room so he’ll actually sleep instead of just staring at Tear the whole time. He has an Infection now because of it.”

“You couldn’t have done anything more, Warrior. Rana was able to get to him, he’s alive. The other Era might have a way to help him.”

“How do we know that’ll even work?! What’s so special about the Era of the Hero of Time anyways?! I’ve heard all these legends about it, hell, I’ve DRESSED as him before, my Zelda has dressed as the Princess from that Era before. We’ve….we’ve heard all these stories, but...what makes it so special?”

“Well,” Torrent pulls his other leg towards him, sitting crisscross, “apparently that Era is where everything was supposed to end. Like. The world was meant to end then, forever. Every single person would die. Plants would shrivel and the water would all dry up. The magic of the land would be gone, because the Triforce was meant to lose all of its energy. But, instead. Five girls were born to the Gerudo tribe in the desert there. And with them, they brought power back to the Triforce, and brought the energy of another Force into the world again. A Force that they thought had been lost to them a long time ago. And so, the world kept going. But with their arrival, an evil was brought in. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”

“Ganondorf.”

“Mhmm.” Torrent hums, staring off across the field. “Honestly, he was a nice guy. He was just...broken. I think the loss of his daughters hurt him more than he could bear. Knowing how badly he had failed them and how a blessing he gained from one of them, just made him do terrible things.”

“A blessing?”

“Only people specifically touched by a Goddess can wield the Triforce or any of its pieces. The touch can be inherited as well, through blood or blessing of a Wielder that had it. I don’t know whether I inherited mine or if I was blessed. But… One of the daughters still exists. Her name is Skylar.”

“I know her.”

“Right...she had come through during that War of yours. Serenity is her descendant, and the next Farore. But Skylar is from that Era. She was born the same day the Hero of Time was. But her mother was forced to abandon her in the woods, leave her to die. The Great Deku Tree instead allowed her to be reborn as a Skull Kid, and she even helped raise the Hero of Time, and gave him the Blessing of Courage, so that when the time came...He’d be able to either wield the whole Triforce, or if it were to be split, he’d get Courage.”

“How do you know so much about this?”

“Serenity. She’s told me a lot about it. She inherited the knowledge of it from Skylar, and she’s something of a Guardian of Time here. At least, she’s the closest thing we have to one. Might just be because she’s a Farore.”

“Huh...So the Era of the Hero of Time. It’s where the timelines split, right?”

“Yes. This one is the result of the Hero of Time going forward in time, defeating the King of Evil, and then returning to his own Era. We’re the timeline he left behind. Ganondorf returned, and a Hero didn’t show up, since he had taken the Force of Courage back with him, so through some divine intervention, my guess is through Skylar, Hyrule was flooded. Ganondorf and all of Hyrule were sealed under the water. Skylar exiled herself to the Forest Haven, and so that she could be reincarnated again, she slowly began to turn herself into a tree. She couldn’t move from her spot anymore when I met her. I was only 12…”

“What was she like then? I’m guessing this was well before you saw her during the war again.”

“Yeah. I was 14 during the war so it was 2 years after. She was….so relieved when she saw me. She had felt when I was born, because for so long she had been waiting for the Spirit of the Hero to appear again. I met Serenity then, too. After everything, Skylar apparently sent Serenity to find me and Tetra, so she could see the world and do something for it, rather than hiding out in the Forest Haven for the rest of time. That way she could help protect New Hyrule.”

“Okay...but...how do we know we’ll find an answer to Tear and Four’s conditions in that Era?”

“Well, according to Serenity...The Hero of Time killed his Dark. Which, you’re not supposed to do, contrary to popular legend. Killing your Dark is literally killing half of your soul, which is then replaced by the Shadows that once made up that Dark. He did that, and was going to die, but...A Light Spirit healed him. At least….that’s what the legend says. Serenity isn’t very sure about that one, and apparently even Skylar was never sure about it.”

“Well, obviously it at least bought him time.”

“Right. You’ve met him recently, so...I guess that’s your answer. It’ll at least buy those two time until we can find a more permanent solution.”

“We?”

“Yeah, ‘we’.” Torrent stands up, extending a hand to Warrior. “I’m coming with you.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Warrior takes his hand, using it to help him stand up. “What with all the work you’re doing here?”

“Rana will be coming back here after moving us, and Serenity, Tetra and Aryll are gonna be here. I think they’ll be just fine. I just have to ask Anjean permission to keep to Lokomo Sword with me.” Torrent crosses his arms, and for a moment, Warrior can’t believe this was the same tiny kid he once fought alongside. “You know, I hadn’t recognized you guys at first. But that stupid scarf is pretty hard to forget.”

“Fuck you.”

“Nah, I think Zoey’s got you covered for that, I got Serenity.” Torrent cackles, running off. He turns around, running backwards, and yells back. “Better hurry up! We’re gonna be leaving soon!”

Warrior sighs, looking down at the pin in his hands. He repins it to the sash over his chest, and walks back towards the castle. He stares up at the castle in front of him, and something feels wrong. “Not supposed to kill your Dark, huh? Then why didn’t anything happen to me?”

The image of Warrior walking rippled, and Vanity sighed, cupping his chin with his hand.

“Because you and I are a very special case, Link…” He sits back in his chair, staring up at the metal ceiling above him. “Very special, indeed.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rana stood in front of the group, hands clasped behind her back. Her scimitars were strapped across her back, the puffy white blouse embroidered with flowers a stark contrast to the gleaming black metal and orange metal. She looked over the group, and an uneasy air settled over them.

“Damn, stare at us any longer and we might burst into flames. Are we going or what?” DJ was the only one bold enough to speak up, earning a snort from Zoey. Rana’s eyes landed on the newest arrival, and smirked.

“Are all of you ready? Sky, are the Reflections in their Mirror?” Rana raised an eyebrow to Sky, who nodded, waving the small handheld mirror in his fingers. “Four. Are you still sure about going through?”

Four nodded, shifting the cloak around his shoulders. The shadow at his feet shifts, catching DJ’s eye. She huffs, crossing her arms.

“Can we just go now?”

“Why the rush, DJ? I’m moving you through Eras, it’s not like the time we leave really matters.” Rana stares at her, but DJ only stares back, her eyes like coals. Rana hums, turning on her heel. She raises a hand, an orb of blue and purple energy forming. She throws it forward, a ring of blue bordered by gold opening up a few feet in front of her. “You all will be brought into the field outside of Lon Lon Village. There’s a ranch up on a hill in the middle of it. Go up there, and ask for Malon, then explain your situation. She’s someone you can trust, and will likely know where your friends are. Be careful, though. You all need to be alert. That Era may be one of the most protected, but it is still one of the most targeted. Shadow Creatures like to lurk in the darker places of that land. So keep an eye out.” She turns back around, green eyes now a fierce blue. She steps to the side, extending her arm.

No one moves, unease still hovering over the group. DJ groans, stomping forward. “Y’all are pussies.” She walks through the portal with no hesitation, which spurs Zoey to follow her, and the rest soon follow.

Ravio stops near Rana, looking up at her. “You sure you don’t want to come with us after you get the kids? I think Tear would like to have you around…” His voice is quiet, and Rana smiles, brushing her knuckles against his cheek.

“Tear is a strong boy, and I think he’ll be just fine without me. You...can do that, too. You did fine on your own before, now you’re not alone. And Tear is going to need you, you can’t be scared to go off without me anymore.” Rana presses a kiss to Ravio’s temple, their hands intertwining. Ravio takes Rana’s left hand and kisses the back of it, his eyes settling on the silver band on her ring finger, matching his own. “And when this is all over...maybe we can finally do what we’ve been planning for the past 4 years.” They both laugh, and Rana lets go of his hands. “Come on. I’m still gonna walk you all through.”

When they passed through, it was like a ball of light enveloped them. This portal was much different than the ones that they all had been through before. It didn’t feel as if they were being ripped away from where they were. This one felt natural.

It felt okay.

Torrent stared above him, and in the rings of writhing light he could see pictures. Images of other times. Even pictures of himself.

The face of his little sister when he held her for the first time.

Him chasing a pig around the island.

Giving Aryll her telescope.

Unfamiliar faces passed by as well.

Red eyes streaked with blue. White hair whipping around his head as the earth beneath him was flooded.

A man in green surrounded by a ball of light, silver rings floating around him. A pale hand pressing against his face, before it disappeared.

A wheel of four colors in a young child’s eyes as they tried to lift a large shield that felt oddly familiar.

Finally, he stepped out, the images fading. It was quiet. The wind barely blew, and the sounds of birds began to creep in, and Torrent opened his eyes to a world filled with green. Even after having found New Hyrule, he still wasn’t used to worlds with so many trees and animals. A ways in front of the group were a couple houses, surrounding a large hill with a fence around the top of it. A horse was making its way towards them, and Rana’s voice shouted over the group.

“I have to leave now. You all know what to do.” She waves, turning back towards the portal. She ruffles Tear’s hair as she leaves, and the portal disappears after she steps through.

“Well,” Warrior sighs, fixing his scarf, “welcome to the Era of the Hero of Time everyone.”

The horse stops, a young girl with long black hair staring down at them. “Now who could y’all be? We ain’t heard of any groups like you coming through the caravan route. Y’all lookin’ for something?”

“Ah, yes.” Warrior steps forward. “We’re looking for a Miss Malon? We were told to come to the big hill here in the field to find her.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s my mama. Name’s Cremia. Y’all just follow me, I’ll take ya to her. Be mindful, though. The villagers aren’t too fond of newcomers who are all heavily armed. But if you keep to yourselves and are respectful I think they’ll be just fine.” Cremia turns the horse around, and begins to slowly trot forward ahead of the group.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mama!! We got some navis here!” Cremia yells, before cantering off on the horse, leaving the group at the entrance to the ranch. Soon enough, a woman comes out of the barn near the entrance.

“Navigators? Surprising, we don’t get many of those...How can I help you?” The woman wipes her hands off on a small brown rag, then slings it over her shoulder. Her fiery red hair was set in a long braid, a bandanna around her head that was embroidered with a pattern that was vaguely familiar to Warrior, who again was the first to step forward.

“Are you Miss Malon? We were told you could help us find some lost companions of ours...Um, one of them goes by ‘Link’?” Warrior’s words gain a snort from Tear, though the captain ignores it.

Malon gives him a suspicious look, then nods. “Yes, I know him. But might I ask why navigators are looking for him?”

“Navigators?”

“Suspicious travelers. As in, travelers who just pop up in the middle of Hyrule Field through a big ole portal.” Malon slowly crosses her arms, and Warrior takes a moment to realize just how much more muscle mass she had than him. He clears his throat.

“Ahem...we’re...friends of Link. We got separated recently. And a friend of one of our group members was able to get us here. We just need to find him, we want to make sure he and any people that might have been with him are okay.”

“What’s your name, boy?” Malon stares Warrior down, who shifts slightly on his feet.

“Excuse me?”

“Your name.”

“Ah, uh...Some of them call me ‘Warrior’, ‘Knight’...One of the younger ones called me ‘Mr. Eyeliner’....a few times…”

“I asked your name, not the goofy nicknames they give you.” Her eyes felt as if they were drilling a hole in Warrior’s head, and he cleared his throat again, and his hand drifted toward his mouth, picking at his lips.

“Lmmn....” He mumbled, and Malon raised an eyebrow.

“Come again? I can’t exactly hear you when you got your hand over your mouth.”

Warrior quickly put his hand down, and by now the entirety of the group was staring at him, waiting for his next move.

“I said my name is Link. As is a few others in this group…”

“How many of the people here are named Link?”

Torrent, Sky and Four raise their hands. Four looks to Tear, but he doesn’t seem to be paying attention to any of the events transpiring, so he simply shakes his head.

“Thought so...well, our Link is in his home village right now. But he’s going to be coming here in a few hours, so just give it a little while and you’ll get to see him. He’ll be bringing his wife along and, knowing him, I’m sure that’s the only thing he ever talked about if y’all really did travel together.” Malon chuckles. “Sorry to put you on the spot, Warrior. We’ve had some...unfortunate happenings recently, so we’ve been a bit more cautious than usual.” She slaps her hand down on his shoulder, causing him to flinch slightly. She laughs, waving the group over. “Come on, now, I can get you settled in the sidehouse, it should have plenty beds.” Warrior rubbed his shoulder, and Zoey hooked her arm through his, pulling him along.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, you’re the Hero of Winds?” Ray and Torrent shake hands. “Skylar’s mentioned you a few times. Vaguely, since she’s not really supposed to tell me about the future, but...enough. Great to meet you.”

“Y...you too. I’ve...heard so many legends about you, it’s kinda surreal to meet you in person. You’re….shorter than I expected. Still really tall, but…” Torrent coughs nervously, still shaking Ray’s hand.

“Fair enough.” Ray pulls his hand away, looking over the group. “Where are the kids?”

“Rana’s picking them up, they should be here soon.” Ravio answered, his arm wrapped around Tear’s shoulders.

“Rana?”

“My...fiancee…She can move through Eras at will.”

“Ah...well, congratulations, for one...and for two...Why is it that this Era is the one y’all are gonna congregate in? Why not...pick up Gloam and Ty and...go somewhere else?”

“Link…” Zorana frowns at Ray, putting her hands on her hips. Ray raises his hands up.

“What? Why is this Era the one that needs to have a mass gathering of heroes and goddesses?”

“Well, it’s possible this Era could help us with Four and Tear’s conditions-” Warrior starts, but Ray cuts him off.

“‘Conditions’? Wait, I knew Four had something but what’s wrong with Tear?”

The group goes silent. Tear stares at Ray, his hands digging into Ravio’s arm. Ravio breathed in shakily, wrapping his other arm around Tear.

“He was attacked by a Pitch. A Dark. And it’s getting worse very quickly….” Ravio ran his hands through Tear’s hair, the teen not taking his eyes off of Ray. Ray shifted on his feet as an old feeling of dread washed over him.

“There’s an old legend about this Era….” Torrent steps forward again, wringing his hands. “That...when the Hero of Time was an adult...he fought against the Dark counterpart of himself...And...apparently you’re not supposed to do that. It’s like...killing half of your soul, to kill your Dark. And he did...You did.” Ray clenched his fists, but stayed quiet as Torrent spoke. “It was said that the Infection he...you...gained from killing your Dark was healed by a Light Spirit… Maybe the same can be done for Four and Tear.”

Ray breathed in and out slowly, and Zorana’s hand rested on his arm. She looked over the group, her eyes landing on Four. “You...Four, right?” Four nodded. Zorana stepped towards him, letting go of Ray. She bent down to eye level with him, holding his face in her hands. She tilted his head to the left, brushing his hair back. Deep black cracks marred the base of his neck and beneath his ear. Four’s shadow shifted in its place on the ground, catching Zorana’s eye.

“Who is the one that sits in your shadow, Four?” Zorana turns his head to the other side, and Four snorts.

“Shadow. Literally. Sometimes I call him Rose, but...usually Shadow. He’s the Dark of the previous Four Sword wielder.” Four glances at his shadow on the ground, which went still as soon as it was mentioned.

“What happened to yours, dear?”

Four sighed, staring off to the side. Zorana hummed, letting go of Four. “I see...Well…” She looks over at Tear. “Come here, sweetheart.” She takes a step towards Tear, who jolts back into Ravio. She stops, raising her hands. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Tear stares at her, but doesn’t make a move to run again. Zorana slowly approaches, gently pulling down the collar of his shirt to look for any marks. “Where are they the worst?”

Ravio clears his throat, holding onto Tear’s shoulders. “Um...his thighs, stomach and back.” Zorana whips her head up to look at Ravio, horror in her eyes. She looks back down at Tear, who is staring back at her, a blank look on his face.

“Well, I suggest we take them to Ordon Spring in the south. There is in fact a Light Spirit there that might be able to tell us if there’s a way to fix this, or at least some way to give them more time until we do.”

“So,” Sky steps up, his face no longer holding the sick pale tone it had in New Hyrule, “where are Gloam and Ty?”

“They’re back in Kokiri Forest. We’ll bring them here later, they were asleep when we left.” Ray stands with his arms crossed, staring back in the direction of the forest.

“Wait, it’s the middle of the day, why are those two asleep? I mean, I’d have an excuse, but it’s surprising that those two would be sleeping this late in the day.” Four chuckles, leaning on his sword.

“They were both up late. Skylar said she could hear noise coming from both of their rooms, but they never came out.”

“Nightmares?”

“Probably.” Ray sighed. “It’s not any of my business though. If y’all wanna ask them yourselves, you can.” He turns on his heel, walking towards the pasture without another word.

“What’s up with him?” Ravio questions, watching Ray’s retreating form.

“He...isn’t exactly happy about all of this.” Zorana answers, folding her hands in front of her. “He wasn’t happy about getting pulled out of our home and leaving me by myself. And he certainly isn’t happy that your group seems to be congregating here. He really just wants to go back to the way things were, and not have to be on another adventure. Especially now…”

“I mean, that’s understandable. But I’ll admit, I’m surprised he’d be this upset. Most of us aren’t exactly happy about this, but...you know. Being a hero...this is what it’s all about, right?” Four scratches at a spot under his right ear, a confused look on his face.

“Well, the main thing is that he was upset he got separated from me.”

“Wait….WAIT ARE YOU ZORANA?!” Four screeches, causing himself to cough, Warrior instinctively grabbing Four’s shoulders to steady him.

“Oh!” Zorana laughs. “Yes, I am. I’m guessing he’s talked about me?”

“You’re the only thing he ever DID talk about. He rarely spoke when he was with us, unless it was about you. Talking about you was the only time he spoke at length. I think Gloam and Lucas were the only ones that really managed to get anything out of him any other time.”

“Lucas?” Zorana narrows her eyes at the name.

“One of our younger group members. Lucasari. He’s from the tail end of all the timelines, along with Aoife and Sean. They’re the ones we’re still waiting for.”

“Lucasari...Is he...Gerudo?”

“Yes, he is.”

“I see. Sorry, it’s just...Luca is my sister’s name, and that name along with other derivatives of it are considered very holy and special names. It’s always surprising to hear others with the name. The name itself means ‘golden dragon’, and is a reference to the Sand Goddess of Gerudo legend.”

“That’s so cool!” Sky beams, leaning forward. “I’m from the Era of the Sky, I don’t know if you know of it. But I’m from the start of all of this, so I know nothing of the new cultures that form. Do you think you could tell me about it?”

Zorana snickers, nodding. “Of course. For now, though, let’s go down to the village mess hall and get something to eat. I’m sure you all are hungry from jumping portals so much.” She waves the group along, leading them down the hill.

DJ and Zoey trailed in the back of the group, having stayed away from the conversations, and Zorana.

“She gives me a weird feeling.” DJ mutters, causing Zoey to raise an eyebrow at her.

“Why is that?”

“She just….looks familiar.”

“Well, you and her look oddly similar. The eyes, hair, even voice. You’re much more crude than she is, but you have the same tones.”

“I guess so…”

“Have you remembered anything yet? You’ve been very quiet, I was hoping that meant you were thinking of something.”

DJ goes silent, her arms crossed over her chest. Zoey looks at her expectantly.

“Yes, I did.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The song Annie is singing is an excerpt from Nicki Jensen’s cover of the Song of Healing! This song will get referenced a LOT so go check it out!!

THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE LAST ONE OF THE PROLOGUE!!! I’M SO EXCITED!!!

The first season is gonna have a LOT of Dark World stuff, and a lovely incredible amazing guest person will likely (hopefully, since we’re both gonna be busy) be helping me with landscape and mapmaking cuz I SUCK at that, but that won’t be for a while .<. I won’t be starting proper planning on the first season till after school lets out for me, which isn’t till the 19th I believe. Y’all will still be getting Reflections and a couple HBNNF chapters, as well as art once in a while, but I want to actually properly plan out the coming seasons and release them on more of a schedule like I had when HB started.

I know I said I was gonna post this tomorrow but I’m impatient : D

Anyways...

Stay crazy, my Lovely Proxies~!!!